I was reading a few articles on Bing News and discovered that a lot of journalists have been referencing Twitter, Instagram and Facebook posts as the sources to their news. While I am appreciative of said social networks, I also feel like an article loses its seriousness when I read something that goes like:

“Lady Gaga pays tribute to Prince on instagram: ‘When we die our souls hover for at least a moment if not longer before they either rest or are recycled into the consciousness of an already living being or maybe a newborn baby.’ She continued, ‘Isn’t it amazing Prince shared his soul with us so deeply before his death, and now after we will be replenished endlessly by both his legacy and all that he still has to give from the beyond.'”

The article goes on to say in-depth how Lady Gaga will remember Prince and gives thanks for his two greatest gifts the world: music and artistry.

I do think that Lady Gaga’s overall reflection on life and death is very profound (and not just for a pop singer/actress) but I also think the article would have been more authentic had the writer conducted a personal interview with the celebrity like via phone, video or a direct message.

Though I digress, social-network-sourced-news are here to stay. It’s no longer news that social nertworks are one of the best mediums for aggregating news stories from around the world — even in the palm of your hand via a smart phone or other device. It is no surprise that this is now the nature of most news stories today. I’m curious to know what writing styles Millenials will think of next.